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Officers surprised by size of Saturday morning dance party on Government Island

govtislandfire.jpg

Firefighters responded last summer to a fire on Government Island, the unpopulated, forested strip of land in the Columbia River that lies beneath the Glenn Jackson, I-205 Bridge connecting Portland and Vancouver.
(Stephanie Yao Long / The Oregonian)

It's not uncommon for groups to gather on Government Island in the Columbia River, especially on warm summer weekends. The unpopulated, forested strip that's crossed by Interstate 205 is an inviting place for volleyball, water skiing and camping.

But what law enforcement officers found on the western tip of the island early Saturday morning was out of the ordinary. Officers from seven agencies responded around 1:45 a.m. to reports of fighting on the island, where they found more than 1,000 people attending a dance party featuring a d.j. whose music was powered by generators.

They arrested Brandon Richard Cullen, 36, of Wilsonville and charged him with three counts of first-degree felony assault. The arrest followed the stabbing of three people whose names have not yet been released. The victims were taken off the island by boat, then to Emanuel Hospital by ambulance.

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Travis Gullberg said responding officers were surprised by the size of the gathering and by the degree it was organized.

"One thing we weren't aware of was the marketing pitch," said Gullberg, who said organizers invited partyers via Facebook, cell phone and text messages. He said organizers also provided shuttle boats from nearby boat ramps.

The island, which is owned by the Port of Portland and managed by Oregon State Parks, allows parties with amplified sound as long as organizers get a permit. The Saturday morning party apparently didn't have a permit, Gullberg said.

It's not usual for groups as large as 200 to assemble on the island, which has no gates or barriers and can easily by accessed from multiple nearby boat ramps, Gullberg said.